I had a long post typed and went to post and I was timed out so here goes the quickie version, LOL.

My name is Amy and my kids age 14 and 11 and I are going to be getting one of the puppies in the photo below sometime in April. In the past I had a shepherd/husky mix that had many issues (submissive peeing and others) but with crate training, clicker training and patience she become a wonderful family dog. Same time we also had a lab mix who was just naturally wonderful, LOL. they both passed away at 14 years old. Currently I have a 5 year old male neutered chi.

We were going to rescue a shepherd but the dogs we looked at got along great with my human kids but wanted to eat my furry little one. He is long haired, I guess he looks pretty cat like.

I also have a friend who comes to visit and I frequently dog sit for him who has unneutered males, a lab age 4 and a german shorthair pointer age 7. They are wonderful dogs, well trained, no issues. Get along with my chi.

I am thinking I want to get a female because of all the males. She will be spayed, I am not looking to breed her just want a family pet and a protector. My husband passed away several years ago and I miss having a big dog around.

Do you think a female would be best? What should I look for in a puppy? I want a middle of the road puppy. Not overly fearful but not overly dominant/reactive either.

A little more about me: I worked 5 years at a humane society, I have clicker and crate training experience.

One other thing. We will most likely be getting the puppy at 7 weeks old. As long as she is weaned and eating kibble. The owner is going through a nasty divorce and is only in the house every other week. The spouse handles the dogs the other week. They are taken care of but do not receive as much handling and interaction with people as they probably should those weeks. The puppies are purebred, parents have certified hips. This is the mother's second and last litter. (this is a friend of a friend btw) Puppies are 4 weeks old

Go on the internet and look up dog drive tests or something like that. There are tests they give puppies to determine which ones have the highest food, ball and prey drives. You can do them on a visit.

Our black and red female was a low drive pup because we dont do sport or search. Worked out great.

Good Luck

__________________
"Dogs were put on Earth to demonstrate unconditional love, cats are here to teach us we aren't that **** important"

I would pass on this litter and I would spend my time and my money researching reputable breeders in my area.

You want a breeder that works or shows their dogs and does health testing. It should not matter that you do not want to work your dog or show your dog and that you are strictly looking for a companion. Breeders who work or show their dogs have dogs that fit the GSD breed both in temperment and structure. Their dogs are stable and healthy. They also spend A LOT of time around the puppies, they know those puppies best and they should be able to tell you about each individual puppy's temperment. They should be able to match the perfect puppy to you and they will be there for you if ever you need them. They are always there to help or take your puppy back if things do not work out and you can no longer keep him/her. The puppy also shouldn't leave the mother until it is 8 weeks of age, puppies need that time to learn from their mothers.

To clarify, what health testing do you specifically mean? The parents are healthy have their hips certified as well. A vet tech (this is my friend) checks on pups bi weekly. Grandparents were show dogs and had various awards and titles but the parents are not shown.
They are family pets and around kids, have a good temperament. I have pics of the parents I can share.

Amy, they are very cute, and if you think one would work for you, I say go for it.

When you say their hips are certified, OFA? Ask your vet tech friend she would know.
Tho it isn't a guarantee you will have good hips/elbows in 'your' puppy, doing this shows the breeder is atleast responsible enough to xray.

Since it sounds like they are not getting much human socializiation, can you possibly go visit/hang out with them a few times a week? Maybe the owners would allow this? It's important they get human socialization at this age as much as possible.

The more time YOU spend with them, the more you may be able to get an idea of temperament, shy? avoidance? bully?

I would ask the breeder their opinion on which one would fit with your wants and don't wants, but that may not be real helpful if they aren't spending alot of time with them

Every puppy/dog deserves a good home, I guess all I can say, is go with your gut.

You can tell from the puppies' expression that they are not comfortable with people. I would pass.
A well socialized litter should be all over you when you try to take a picture and not huddled into a corner. Most socialized litters are put behind a gate so you will be able to take pictures. That in itself is enough information to see what you are getting yourself into if you get a puppy from this litter.

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